The Shadow
by Wendigo-Hunter
Summary: Nero, a Runner from New York, is caught in the wrong place at the wrong time. When he's involved in an accident, he's changed for life, will he coupe? Or will he seek help in the Justice League? Ratins may change.....
1. Birth

(Right!! I do not own Justice League!!!! If I did do you think I would be here!!!!?)

The rain fell hard against his skin, he didn't know if they were following him or not...... and quite frankly he didn't _want_ to know. He was answered when a strong male voice echoed down the alleyway.

He vaulted over several dumpsters and scaled over fences, using his runner training. He came to a near dead end, with a heavy metal door into the chemical factory as the only exit. "Damn it!" Nero cursed.

"He went this way!!" The voice came again.

"Damn they're fast....." He opened the door and ran in. Once in he climbed the nearest ladder, and ran along the suspended walkway. The door was forced open and bullets flew past him.

He skidded to a halt when he ran out of walkway which balanced over several vats of luminous green liquid. "Oh wank!" He hissed, and turned to face his chasers. As they came closer, the bridge groaned under the strain, due to the number of people on the same area.

"We got you now Nero." The man at the front said. Nero looked at the metal walkway, then down at the vats, "No where to run."

The suspension on the walkway suddenly came loose knocking everyone over. Nero's crimson eyes were wide in fear, as he looked at the group. "Damn. Damn. Damn....." He cursed. The other suspender came loose, causing Nero's end to fall down a bit.

"LET'S GET OUT OF HERE!!" then te sound of footsteps followed causing the only thing holding Nero up broke. He screamed as he fell into the toxic liquid, then it went black.

----xXx----

Sirens..... lots of them. Then splashing, and a gasp for air. These sounds were the first to reach a dead man's ears. Lugging an almost frozen body out of the death trap and onto the cold, hard concrete below, gasps became painful breaths.

Then a pained, ear piercing cry ripped through shattered lungs. It hurt....... so much.

(R&R tell me if I should continue!!!)


	2. ReBirth

(Here's the next chappy: ReBirth!!!!!!!!! I know it's short but ...... NII!!!)

_"__**The Bronx is a dangerous place at night, so don't brag unless you can back it up**__." That's what gran pappy told me when I first got the Runner job. Always lookin' out for me, my gran pappy. He was murdered two years ago._

----xXx----

The runner routes seemed all to easier to him now, his body moved so fluidly, jumps seemed smaller, walls shorter. He'd thank those men, if he found them, the accident made his life easier. All his senses were heightened, tiredness never came over him, nor hunger nor thirst, nor pain. He could keep going for days.

Only problem was when he look in the mirror, well when he had a mirror. He had shattered it in a fit of fury at the sight of his featureless face and inky black skin. Anne, his sister was the only one who looked at him without fear.

_Sweet Anne, sweet sweet Anne, was murdered a week after the accident by the same group of men who did this to me_.

The scum of the neighbourhood were his targets. Since the high and mighty Justice League didn't deal with them, not the small ones. "HELP ME!!" A scream came from the east, a female cry.

----xXx----

"Help me!!" a teenage girl ran through the series of back alleys, obviously completely lost. Two men were following her, catching up quickly. She hit a dead end, "No!" She cried.

"There you are dear. No more running now." one of the men smiled wickedly. The other laugh viciously.

"**Oh really?**" Then he formed out of the shadows on the ground, "**I wouldn't be so cocky if I were you.**" he said.

"Oh **! It's the shadow freak!!" the back man yelled. "Shoot it!!" and they drew their guns.

"**Get down miss.**" He said to the girl. And just as she did the men opened fire, and the bullets went straight through him, like liquid. Sighing, he raised his arm and a black tendril formed from his hand and attacked the two men.

The men ran away, _Cowards._

He turned to the girl who stared at him wide-eyed. "What....... who are you?" She asked weakly.

"**I am no one of great importance. Are you all right Miss......?**" He asked.

"Alice. My name is Alice." She replied, "And yes I'm alright." She replied, and took his hand when he offered it to her to help her off the round.

"**You're not...... afraid?**" he asked. She shook her head, "**Oh..... I've taken the name Shadow. As you heard, I'm normally called the shadow freak.**" He explained.

"I see...... thank you for your help Mr. Shadow." She replied. "I'm new around here so yeah..... I became a target."

"**I see.**" Shadow replied.

(R&R PLEASE!!!!!!!!!)


	3. Reaper

(Yes a new chappy!!!)

_"__Every single moment is a coincidence." _Funny enough I don't believe in coincidences, and my meeting with Alice wasn't one. That I know for sure.

----xXx----

The old house was nothing special, in partial ruin, but it kept the rain out. Shadow slumped down on the old tattered couch. This had been their house when they were growing up. Anne would play outside, and he would play his guitar.

He raised his inky black hand and gazed at it. Then he could smell it, a thick, coppery stench. He got up and ran out the back door, towards the smell. What he saw made him gag, he'd seen death, but this......... this was butchery!

They were a family. Nothing more.

"You came faster then expected. Truly you put the research to shame." A dark, icy voice froze his already cold body to the core.

He turned slowly, drawing his gaze away from the slaughter. And there he stood, perfectly balanced on the wire fence, his slender frame was dressed in tight black leather, with lots of straps and belts.

Long, limp, dead looking hair fell over his white face, which supported a black visor. Shadow couldn't help but notice how frail he looked. '_One hit with my tendrils would break him in half!_'

"The Justice League will be here shortly, I advise you to leave." He said, only then did Shadow realise that the man had a light Russian accent

"Why do you care?" Shadow asked.

"I do not. But you are valuable to my master." he said. "Until we meet again Shadow. I advise you to say functioning." He said and in a single bound he landed on the opposite building and ran with great speed.

"Hey wait!!" Shadow yelled. '_Who the hell was that?_'

----xXx----

Shadow desided to take the man's advice and legged it before the Justice League got there. He did a little research, and discovered a little fact. The family that the man butchered, were part of a secret crime family.

_''__**I do not. But you are valuable to my master**__.' Who was he? And who is his 'Master'? Unless he was packing some powers, he shouldn't be much of a problem. But I should be cautious, he seems to know a lot._' he thought.

----xXx----

Shadow ran along the roofs, down along main street. He was tailing a small, delivery truck, driving very fast, very dangerously. Whoever was driving needed to get somewhere quick, and was putting people in clear danger to get there.

He made a snap choice and jumped from the roof he was on and landed on the top of the trailer, just above the cab. His arms formed tendrils and ripped the roof of the cab clean off. He threw that into an abandoned alley, and grabbed the driver.

He lifted the driver up out of the cab, and used his other arm tendril to drive the truck. He drew the drive close, "Where do you think you're going?" Shadow growled, a long thin, smaller tendril fromed from his arm tendril and it formed a spike.

"I.... I...... was given an order to deliver this!" The man replied, in a near scream.

"What is it!?" Shadow demanded, and the spike moved closer to the man's face.

"Please!!! I can't......" The man stammered.

"That's enough of that." Shadow turned and looked at the one and only man of steel and two other Justice members.

"Superman, Green Lantern, Hawk girl. So nice of you to join us." Shadow replied coldly.

"Put him down!" Superman ordered, if Shadow had a visible mouth he would be smirking. He turned and threw the man at Superman and made a jump to the nearest building. "After him Lantern!"

Shadow ran at great speed, and looked over his shoulder and saw he was being tailed. He jumped from roof to roof without flinching once as they attacked him. Shadow made one final jump to the next roof and jumped off the edge into the dark alley below, being swallowed by the shadows.

----xXx----

"We've lost him." Shadow heard Green Lantern say somewhere above him.

"Are we sure it was a him?" Hawk Girl asked.

"Ask the Batman kiddies." Shadow chuckled darkly.

"We need to find out who he was. What he was doing trailing that truck." Superman said.

"Very slow are you not?" The white haired man appeared on the roof next to the floating Justice League members.

----xXx----

Superman turned to face the newcomer, "And you are?"

The man's face remained blank, "I am what the Doctor calls a Hunter retriever. I have no name worth knowing." He replied. "But if you want to call me something, call me Ivan."

"What do you want?" Hawk Girl asked

"You are hunting my target. And I can not let you do that." Ivan replied.

"And what are you going to do about it?!" Hawk girl demanded, her mace sparked. Superman stopped her from attacking.

"Before anything happens, let me ask you this." He said. Ivan looked at him, "Why are you targeting him?"

"Who Shadow?" Ivan asked, "Because he is valuable to my Master."

"Your master?" Superman asked.

"Yes. My master."

(R&R!!!!)


	4. Pain

(Righty ho then!! Here's the next one!)

_"You have a choice. Live or die. Every breath is a choice. Every minute is a choice. To be or not to be." _

----xXx----

Ivan stood waiting for Superman's reply, he sighed "This bores me." He said and walked away, his long hair caught the breeze and fluttered behind him.

"Not so fast!" Hawk Girl yelled and flew at him, her mace ready to take his head. But as it was about to hit him, his arm shot up and blocked it.

It hit his arm with no damage inflicted. He grabbed the handle of the mace and in a split second he'd used it as a support and round kicked her in the back of the head, with enough force to send her flying.

Green Lantern readied his ring, aiming for Ivan. Ivan turned and jumped at him, a shot clipped his shoulder, but he didn't even flinch. He put his hands on Lantern's shoulders and vaulted over him, and kicked him in the small of his back.

He landed momentarily on the opposite roof, then shot forward at Superman. Superman braced himself, Ivan came at him at high speeds and before he knew it he was on the roof. Ivan landed on the other roof.

"How.....?" Lantern asked.

"You move to slow. I analyzed your attack patterns, movements, and abilities." Ivan replied, "As for the man of steel, I hit several pressure points, leaving him immobile."

"How did you get to be this good." Hawk Girl snarled.

"And who is the 'Master' of yours?" Superman asked from his immobile position on the roof.

"That is for me to know, and you to find out." Ivan replied, "Stay away from my target. Or worse things will come your way." He said and vanished into an alley.

----xXx----

'_Damn! He's good!_' Shadow thought as he watched the fight. He lept onto the roof where Ivan had been seconds earlier. He turned and looked at the three Justice League members, they looked at him.

"I'd advise leaving." He said walking to them. "It isn't safe here anymore."

"Who are you?" Superman asked him.

"I am what many around here call The Shadow." He replied. "I hope you realise that the Truck I was tailing was of great importance." He hissed, "And now you just lost me a lead."

"Why you....!" Hawk Girl hissed, Shadow held up a hand.

"I will not fight you after a defeat like that. I am just going to warn you." Shadow replied, and turned.

"Wait! Will you come with us!" Superman asked. Shadow stopped walking.

"To a tower floating around in the earth's orbit. To watch as the world slowly destroys itself sometimes unnoticed. I'd rather not." He replied, turning to look at them. "To much to do down here."

----xXx----

Shadow jumped onto the roof of an apartment block, and walked to the roof door. He hid when the door opened and someone walked out, it was Alice. He crept up behind her, silently and quickly.

He was about to put his hand on her shoulder, when before he could react he was flung over she shoulder ad landed on his back. Her fist stopped inches from his head, "Oh god Shadow! I'm sorry!"

"Don't know why you needed my help back in that alley." He said, looking up at her. "If I could feel that, I would be in a lot of pain right now." He said getting up.

"I'm really sorry Shadow. Don't sneak up on me again!" Alice replied, still panicking, "Are you sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine. I don't feel physical pain anymore." Shadow replied. Alice stared at him, her apple green eyes wide with worry. "Don't worry about it."

"I really am sorry." She said her head dropped, so she was looking at her feet.

"I know you are." He said. "I came to ask you something."

----xXx----

"I see. So the Justice League is involved now. This makes things complicated." Ivan looked up at his master, who was hidden in darkness.

"They intend on making him a member of the League." Ivan replied.

"I see. You stay on the Target's trail, bring him in. I shall send Issac to deal with the Justice League. They will not get away from him."

"Yes sir." Ivan replied, and turned as Issac walked into the room, his black helmet housed a crimson visor, it covered his entire head. "Issac." Ivan greated the other male.

"Oh and Ivan. Contact Leech." Ivan nodded.

----xXx----

"What do you mean danger?" Alice asked him.

"There is a man, powerful and fast, out there trying to capture me and will kill anyone who stands in his way." Shadow replied.

"But.... that's crazy! You can't honestly think I'd sit back and let you face this by yourself! You're mental!" She yelled.

"Listen I couldn't forgive myself if anything were to happen to you." Shadow replied.

"Why!?" She demanded.

"Because your not afraid of me!" He replied.

Alice took a step back, "What?"

"You are the first person since my sister who hasn't run away from me." Shadow said, his head lowered on instint. "I'm sorry." Alice took his head in her hands.

----xXx----

Ivan and Issac sat in the helicopter that was transporting them to the Bronx area. "Leech is not responding." Ivan said. "Could they have found her already?" He looked at Issac, "I see your point."

"We're approaching the drop off area." The pilot announced.

Ivan stood, and walked to the door, and looking at Issac he said, "Don't worry. I will keep that under control."

He opened the door, "We're over the drop point." the pilot said and Ivan jumped out the door.

----xXx----

Shadow ran along the roofs, following the helicopter, "Damn. Not him again." He cursed when he saw a person jump out of it, and the helicopter flew off. "Not a good day!" He growled. "So not my day!!"

(R&R!!!

Info: No Ivan is _not_ talking to himself!!!)


End file.
